Good day, my friends. I’ve gathered some stories and features and links that are as positive and uplifting a message as I can muster for you, even if some of them are born of sadness. But that makes them infinitely important. Let’s get to them, shall we?
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WELL I KNOW WHAT I’M GIVING EVERYONE FOR CHRISTMAS.
by the fabulously unstoppable Rachel Ignotofsky
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A recent Google doodle told me about an extraordinary scientist I’ve never heard of.
Google Doodle celebrates tenacious Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexía
She often risked life and limb to collect thousands of specimens, some of which had never been seen before.
“In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Google dedicated its Doodle on Sunday [September 15th] to the Mexican-American botanist. It was on this date in 1925 that Mexía embarked on her first botanical expedition, traveling to Mexico with a group from Stanford University to collect rare botanical species. But the 55-year-old Mexía soon decided she could accomplish more on her own and abandoned the group to travel the country for two years.”
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Dumbo in Manhattan is short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. And it’s also:
The Most Instagrammable Neighborhood in America, Before It Was Cool
“The view of the Manhattan Bridge from Dumbo has become so Instagram-famous that it has entered the realm of the Eiffel Tower and latte foam: People take pictures of it because people take pictures of it.”
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This woman is a goddess among us.
“During her girlhood, Tarzan was her role model. When she realized how chimpanzee habitats were being destroyed, she turned into a crusader. At 85, she’s still preaching.
Jane Goodall nursed a glass of neat Irish whiskey. It was the end of a long day of public appearances, and her voice was giving out.
That’s what Ms. Goodall does these days. She talks. To anyone who will listen. To children, chief executives and politicians. Her message is always the same: The forests are disappearing. The animals are going quiet. We’re running out of time.”
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What I like BEST about this article is that the author—while reporting and tentatively praising KitKat Japan—does NOT gloss over what a bad actor Nestlé has been over the years, and that they have to do so much more than this. That said…
KitKat Japan Is Ditching Plastic Packaging For Paper Which You Can Fold Into Origami
“Nestlé Japan has gotten all the buzz recently by replacing its glossy plastic wrappers with more environmentally- friendly paper ones. Added to this are bonus origami instructions, so you can create an iconic paper crane design instead of throwing your waste away.”
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I do love pajiba so much and have for years. They keep evolving and have become more than a great home for wonderful film and tv recaps but a fierce and fair and informative source of political commentary. [Check them out!] That said, this is from a wonderful writer who has shared her experience with her much-hated and hateful cat Buster who just happened to be her soulmate.
On Grief and the Movies We Watch to get Through It
“Friends, it’s been a sad week for me. My best friend and cat of 11-years finally succumbed to his super rare, super weird, autoimmune disease. The end came quickly, and thankfully I had a very kind doctor who was there to help make the horrible decision to euthanize much easier. It was written all over her face once she got his blood work back, it was time to let Buster go.”
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Bonus: Vicktory Dogs. I recall this much too clearly, as you probably do as well—the discovery and indictment of dogfighting horror. I also clearly recall that at this time, blogs were a fairly new and popularly read phenom. And so there were various Vick Dog rescue blogs—both deeply heartwarming but disturbing if you considered why they were adopted. I thought you might like to see this story on how these beautiful beings changed the course of animal rescue.
Twelve years ago, 47 dogs were rescued from Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation and allowed to live. They’ve enriched the lives of countless humans and altered the course of animal welfare.
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